Karissa's Nature Blog

Interpret nature with me!

[msenvs3000f21]

Personal Ethic

     If it hasn’t been apparent by now, nature and anything to do with the environment is a big deal to me. It’s my go-to place as a stress reliever and it plays a critical role in the health and development of humans and animals. The different sounds and experiences I’ve had with nature brought me closer to it and have become my source of fun and excitement, as well as become a stress reliever later on in my life. When exams are near or I have a stressful presentation, I’ve learned to use nature as a way to relieve stress and help me clear my mind and get my thoughts straight. A walk in the park, or on a trail is enough to calm me down and relax myself for any challenging exam that I might be preparing for. Nature is critical in the health of humans and animals as it provides vital oxygen as well as water and different essentials we might need. Clean oxygen, clean water, shelter, food is all essential to the growth of humans and animals. Creating pollution that hinders these factors can lead to a lower quality of life and lead to greater health risks.      A revolutionary new technology called CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is a breakthrough science improvement that allows for the editing of DNA in living organisms (Barrangou & Doudna 2016). As this is a huge, enormous topic, I will very briefly sum it up. Crispr is a sequence of DNA that protein found in cells that are used to fight off attacks from previously attacking viruses (Barrangou & Doudna 2016). This is sort of like an antiviral defence system in cells so that when the same virus attacks, the cell already has the defence DNA so it cant be attacked again (Barrangou & Doudna 2016). This is great and all, but the most important part is the protein CAS9 (Barrangou & Doudna 2016). This is a protein that does the insertion of DNA into living cells in order to prevent future infection (Barrangou & Doudna 2016). What scientists learned is that we are able to give CAS9 any DNA we want to add into a cell, and CAS9 will do it with precision accuracy (Barrangou & Doudna 2016). This ultimately means we are able to modify organisms however we want. Do we want a cure for HIV? We can give antibiotics that rarely work, or we can use CAS9 to insert DNA that prevents HIV from infecting the person in the first place. Moving this into a nature perspective. We have great levels of pollution and greenhouse gases that are slowly eating the ozone layer, causing global warming and massive impacts on the environment. We can try to prevent this by moving to electric vehicles, not burning fossil fuels, recycling, or we can use CRISPR to our advantage. We have already used genetic modification to create bacteria that eat at oil which are used to help clean up oil spills that happen in our oceans. To combat pollution. Insert a DNA sequence that allows for more uptake of carbon dioxide in plants and trees that will help us clean up the air just like the bacteria we use to clean up oil. This is a very complex subject but things like this are possible with current technologies. I believe this technology will help us with the different pollutions we as humans have caused to the environment.      This video describes very well the uses that we can have with CRISPR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAhjPd4uNFY&ab_channel=Kurzgesagt%E2%80%93InaNutshell

     Since this technology is not 100% understood and used there are still things, I personally do right now to prolong the amount of pollution I am causing. I work at a lab that tests water, soil, and air samples around Ontario and we use this data to show what pollutants and different things are found in our ecosystem. We use this data and send it off to companies and the government to help aid with clean-up and to help clean-up crews know what to use for any pollutants that we found. Knowing what pollutants are found in soil can help with clean-up aids and help crack down on how those pollutants got there in the first place. I tested different sewage, soil, and water samples around Guelph for different oils, metals, and chemicals and we sent our results to the government for further evaluation. This is my personal responsibility I have, to help with keeping the environment clean and protected. Other little things I do are recycle and use locally sourced things to lower my greenhouse footprint. It’s a little thing but little things add up. I also currently inform my relatives about different recycling practices that they might be doing wrong.      I am not a very important social figure that has a lot of power to make huge changes like the government or a celebrity. But as a 21-year-old, I do anything in my power to help make a change and keep the environment as clean as I can.      I also try to inspire others to go out and experience nature on their own to help strengthen others’ bonds with nature. My cousins and siblings are very hesitant about the outdoors as they prefer to be indoors and spend their time on their phones and video games. I have recently begun a tradition in our family where the cousins all gather at a picnic or an outdoor setting and spend time together. We always pick different scenarios, from Rattlesnake Conservation Area, to just up north at their cottage we find different ways to get closer to each other as well as get closer to nature. Slowly I’ve noticed they have begun to love the outdoors and this love can directly translate to being more aware of how pollutions are negative. “If he is indeed wise, he does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather, leads you in the threshold of your own mind” – Kahlil Gibran If you remove a child from the opportunity of bonding with nature then that child will get less of a balanced moral compass (Beck et al 2018). That’s why giving my siblings the opportunity to go out and experience nature with them, and sometimes on their own, will help them learn about the different pleasures they can get from it, as well as how important it really is to us, even if we don’t directly interact with it.      Nature is a very important aspect of my life. I cherish it and I always make sure to appreciate what it does to me. Personally, it’s a stress reliever that helps me cope with exams and the different stresses of life. The environment is also detrimental to the health of humans and different plants and animals. I believe that CRISPR is the future and since we are finding it challenging to cope with the increasing pollution, we are experiencing every day, CRISPR offers an efficient way to combat the ever-increasing pollution. Since this is a new technology that isn’t used very much yet, I still do my part by working at Bureau Veritas to help companies and governments help with pollution in Ontario as well as help inform others of different practices and things, they can do to help lower their personal carbon footprint. References Barrangou, R., Doudna, J. Applications of CRISPR technologies in research and beyond. Nat Biotechnol 34, 933–941 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.3659 Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. SAGAMORE Publishing.

[ktenvs3000f21]

Hi Michael,

I liked reading your post; it was very unique. It allowed me to learn all about CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) for the first time, which was very cool. At first, it sounded extremely complex but, I think you broke it down well, making it easy to digest. CRISPR sounds like a remarkable scientific discovery. I think it's great that you shared this knowledge in your post. It's a prime example of how interpreters simply presenting information can encourage people to do their own exploring and thinking because this is precisely what your post made me do (Beck et al., 2018, p. 99-100).

I know you mentioned the possibility of altering the DNA sequence of trees to allow for more carbon dioxide uptake. I was curious to know if there were other ways CRISPR could be used to fight climate change. This was when I happened upon a pretty exciting blog that mentioned five ways CRISPR plants can fight climate change. You might already be aware of these but, I thought I'd still share a couple of my findings on the off chance you weren't.

1. CRISPR can allow scientists to engineer crops to be more robust in unfavourable environments (Gallegos, 2019). This is very important since climate change has changed ecosystems' characteristics, causing forests to slowly move from their original spots.

2. CRISPR can be used to alter nitrogen fixation to prevent us from being dependant on synthetic fertilizers (Gallegos, 2019). For example, we can use CRISPR to modify the DNA sequencing of nitrogen-fixing soil micro-organisms to be less selective of their plant hosts (Gallegos, 2019).

I can't wait to see what other advancements the world holds for CRISPR.

I hope you continue to cherish nature on your path as an environmental interpreter and continue to use it as a means of stress relief. After all, interpretation "…produces a more harmonious relationship between the individual and the environment – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually” (Beck et al., 2018, p.475).

Thanks again for sharing! Wishing you all the best!

Karissa

References

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage: For A Better World. SAGAMORE Publishing.

Gallegos, J. (2019, December 17). Five ways CRISPR plants can combat climate change. Alliance for Science. https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2019/12/five-ways-crispr-plants-can-combat-climate-change/

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What is my personal ethic and how does it relate to the way I interpret nature? I have had a very hard time trying to understand what my own environmental ethics are. If the topic was bioethics including abortion, assisted suicide or organ donation, I would have written this post 5 days ago. I don’t know why environmental ethics are so much harder to articulate for me. To begin, I need to break the question down.

What exactly are ethics and what is the difference between ethics and morals? The only definition that makes a bit of sense to me is this;

Ethics are rules whereas morals are opinions

I know there is a lot more to this, but I am not a philosopher. Based on this definition, my environmental ethics include;

- Minimize my carbon footprint - Enforce environmental law to preserve natural landscapes - Large corporations should be held accountable for disproportionality degrading the environment - Humans should not be prioritized over other species

All of these are based on my love for the environment, which was instilled in me from a very young age. In my first post I told the story of how nature has influenced my life. My parents turned nature from a ‘space into a place’ through backcountry camping trips, hiking, blueberry picking in our backyard forest, biking, nordic skiing and cross country running (Beck et al., 2018). I practically grew up outdoors.

This type of childhood is becoming far less common. David Suzuki and Richard Louv discussed the negative effects that urbanization, technology, and fear are having on children as it pertains to connecting with nature. Richard Louv’s story about Juan Martinez from South Central LA really stood out for me. Juan was headed down a pathway that would likely result in gang life, but after getting in trouble at highschool he was forced to choose between getting kicked out or joining the Eco Club. His decision to join the Eco Club would soon become the biggest turning point in his life. Their field trip to Grand Teton National Park sparked something in him. He is now the head of the natural leaders initiative for the children and nature network and is the founder of a regreening project for his neighbourhood. 

When I was in highschool, I was one of the first people to join the new environmental specialist high skills major (SHSM) program. This is similar to the eco club that Louv was talking about where we took field trips to nearby parks to plant trees and pick up garbage, started a composting program at the school, and came up with regreening ideas that were brought to the school board. In my first post I also mentioned the petition to protect Bennett Lake from road development which was brought to city council and voted in favour of. This petition was created by my friends and I who were all part of SHSM and all grew up with very similar childhoods. Coincidence? I think not.

This moral obligation to save the environment has led me to pursue a degree in environmental biology. I also applied at Ontario Parks in the summer after first year where I started as a nature interpreter/discovery guide and recently transitioned into a park warden. The discovery program incorporates many of the same ideas that we have discussed in class. My park’s programs incorporate art, science and technology. The programs are divided into topics, each with different activities that apply to different learning styles. Hands on activities include scavenger hunts, finding insects, and making art. Listening activities include bird call identification, asking them to close their eyes and tell me what they hear, and simply having conversations. Visual activities include demonstrations, the paint chip challenge where they have to find things in nature that match their paint chips, and looking at species identification placemats that we have from the arboretum. 

These are 2 frogs we caught and observed in the Amazing Amphibians program

The goal of this program is summarized by the pledge that every child has to take if they want to be a ‘true discovery ranger’; “Explore parks big and small. Observe plants and animals. Discover the wonders of nature”

This program provides children with a framework to start exploring nature and hopefully develop the same sense of love that I developed as a kid. My hope is that this will be a good motivator for the parents to explore with them and help foster this love.

 As a park warden, I can take environmental ethics one step further by enforcing legislation such as the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006. There are a lot of laws that we as park wardens can enforce but I tend to focus on the ones that revolve around plants and animals. Did you know that it is illegal to hurt or even disturb plants and animals within a provincial park?

My personal life has also been influenced by my environmental ethics. I have become a vegetarian in the last 5 years in an attempt to reduce my carbon footprint. I also grow a lot of my own produce in the summers, carpool to work, use environmentally friendly cleaning products, and collect rain water to water my gardens. 

Once it is financially feasible and I own my own home, I would love to switch to solar power and buy an EV after my current car bites the dust.

There are more drastic steps I can be taking to reduce my impact even further, but these aren’t enough to make a difference on the global scale. We need the largest greenhouse gas emitters to become net 0, we need to place the environment before the economy for once, and we need to understand that earth is more than just habitat and resources for humans. I highly recommend watching this documentary by David Attenborough on Netflix because he touches on all of these ideas. This is the trailer for it.

All in all, I want to share my love for our natural world and hope that it inspires others to do their part in protecting it.

[ktenvs3000f21]

Hi Kate,

I enjoyed reading your post! I felt it was very relatable in many ways, and I loved how you took the time to break down the difference between ethics and morals. I especially agree that humans should not be prioritized over other species, as you mentioned. I think that most humans believe that we are superior to all other living species. We have this sense that we are the “most evolved” or “most intelligent species” when this isn’t necessarily the case. Instead, it is more likely that we can be considered the “most destructive” species in the world. I have realized that humans are the underlying cause of almost every environmental issue plaguing society today. But how do we change this? How do we do better?

This question is tough to answer. There are many easy things people can do in their everyday lives to help fight back. As you mentioned, for some, it could be becoming vegetarian, growing your produce, or even carpooling to places. Although these are all excellent practices, it is unfortunately not substantial enough to completely solve the problem. In 2017 it was reported that 100 companies have been responsible for more the 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988 (Griffin, 2017). This is astounding! I completely agree that these large corporations should be held accountable. Imagine how much pollution we could eliminate if these companies were more tightly regulated.

If you’re interested, here is the link to the full 2017 report.

I believe it is imperative that, as environmental interpreters of today, we take the time to educate the environmental interpreters of tomorrow, children. Children are the most critical audiences because not only are they the future, but they are the most impressionable at young ages (Beck et al., 2018, p. 144). This is why I’m happy that people like you use your voice to teach the generations of tomorrow. Ontario Parks is very lucky to have you.

References

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson. D.M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage for a better world. Sagamore-Venture.

Griffin, P. (2017, July). The carbon majors database: CDP carbon majors report 2017. CDP. https://b8f65cb373b1b7b15feb-c70d8ead6ced550b4d987d7c03fcdd1d.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/cms/reports/documents/000/002/327/original/Carbon-Majors-Report-2017.pdf?1499866813

[ktenvs3000f21]

Humans: Guilty as Charged!

Nature has been an enchanting wonderland that I love exploring and learning about. But it wasn't always like this. I discovered my love of nature through watching countless documentaries and docuseries' on Animal Planet. Out of all the shows I watched back then, my favourites were always where humans saved domestic and non-domestic animals. However, it was usually humans that put these animals in these situations in the first place. At this moment, I realized that it was humans that were the cause of most of the environmental issues plaguing society today.

Pollution, humans do it every day - from oil spills in the ocean to our morning commute, humans are the sole contributors to most if not all pollution in the world. Humans are causing global warming and the melting of our ice caps. Humans are poaching endangered species to the point of extinction. Honestly, the list goes on and on. I wonder how ethically, we as humans, continue to participate in these harmful practices without thinking about the consequences.

Are we insane? After all, as Albert Einstein said, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.Don't get me wrong; I'm guilty of this, too, at times. Most people are often unaware of how their actions may be negatively impacting the world around us. For many, ignorance is bliss. This is why I believe that our responsibility as this generation's nature interpreters is to educate and inspire people regarding issues that matter. After all, "people must care about before they care for" (Beck et al., 2018, p. 60). What is one way you are environmentally conscious in your everyday life?

This summer, I worked as a scale operator at my community recycling centre. Sounds glamourous, right? I promise it really isn't – "community recycling centre" is just a fancy way of saying community dump. I was surprised to learn just how little I knew and how little the general public knew about sorting waste through my work there. Countless times, residents would argue with me because they believed something that was considered garbage to be recyclable. As an environmental issue, I know this seems like something very minute. Still, I believe it is an excellent representation of the lack of knowledge people have regarding ecological issues as a whole. Since working there, I have taken on the responsibility of educating friends and family members on the dos and don'ts of recycling.

Did you know that although books are primarily recyclable, hardcovers are not? When you recycle a book, you need to remove the hardcover and put it into the garbage. Then the rest can go into the recycling!

I don't know about you guys but, I am an animal lover through and through. I believe that all animals, from dogs to snails, deserve respect. Here is a photo of some of the cute furry friends that I have in my life to prove this to you. Of course, I'd love to see some pictures of yours too if you'd like to share!

I believe that wild animals should remain wild. I have watched many shows where people bought and sold wild animals such as lion cubs as house pets. Once these animals grew up, people often discarded them as trash which is extremely disheartening. There is usually a misconception that if a wild animal is hand raised, they are no longer a danger to humans. When handlers learn this isn't the case many times, it is too late. Just because wild animals are not living in the wild does not mean that you've taken the "wild" out of them.

I also believe that animals should not be kept in zoos or marine aquariums; it is unethical. When necessary, I understand that wildlife rehabilitation centres can be great for educational purposes because they allow interpreters to emphasize environmental stewardship—allowing visitors to see these animals can facilitate discussion on important topics of wildlife management and conservation (Beck et al., 2018, p. 95-96). Although I know it's the best place for animals that cannot be wholly rehabilitated, I believe that no animal should have to live out the entirety of its life in a small enclosure. These enclosures often have substantial negative impacts on animals. A great example that comes to mind for me of the adverse effects of captivity on animals is that of Tilikum, the captive killer whale in the documentary Blackfish. If you haven't watched the film, I strongly suggest you do!

This video does a great job of summarizing why captivity is unethical and mentions some other unsettling cases. If you have time, have a watch and let me know some of your thoughts. Do you agree or disagree?

"Our most important audiences might be our smallest and youngest ones" (Beck et al., 2018, p. 144).

I believe it is imperative that we educate children of all ages - children are our last hope for the future (Beck et al., 2018, p. 144). This is an approach I'd love to take. I love teaching kids new things about nature, especially since I have only younger cousins and have been unintentionally doing this all my life. Children are developing their morals, values, and belief systems at young ages and, therefore, are the most impressionable (Beck et al., 2018, p.144). As interpreters, we have the privilege to shape and inspire the interest of these future generations (Beck et al., 2018, p. 144). To do so successfully, our responsibility as environmental interpreters is to provide age-appropriate environmental education (Rodenburg, 2019). It's essential to remember that children learn best through stories, experiences and discovery (Rodenburg, 2019). We must not forget that "interpreters impact the future by interpreting to children today" (Beck et al., 2018, p. 144).

There are not enough words in this post to help me describe to the full extent all the beliefs I bring to being a nature interpreter. But I can tell you that they mostly revolve around having respect for the natural world. While developing all these beliefs, I learned the importance of advocating for what is right. We learned that advocacy is defined as taking public action regarding important issues (Beck et al., 2018, p. 469). Since the environment can't advocate for itself, I believe it is my responsibility to advocate on its behalf. This can be a bit overwhelming because it seems impossible that one 22-year-old girl living in rural Caledon could make an impact. But, regardless of this, it's worth a shot! This is why I believe the conservationist approach to nature interpretation is well suited for me.

This is Karissa signing off :)

References

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage. Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

Rodenburg, J. (2019, June 17). Why environmental educators shouldn't give up hope. Clearing Magazine. https://clearingmagazine.org/archives/14300

[emlenvs3000f21]

Something amazing: The Ginkgo Tree

This week’s post is all about my recent favourite plant: The ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba)

Ginkgo trees are often called “living fossils” because they are the last living species of the order Ginkgoales. This tree has hardly changed its characteristics and life strategies in over 270 million years! Scientists have studied fossils from millions of years ago and have decided that those fossils are incredibly similar to the current ginkgo trees living all over the world, and that they originate from China (Cohn, 2013). These trees are one of the few species we can see today that have remained virtually unchanged since dinosaurs walked the earth!

Ginkgo trees have become a popular tree for planting in many residential and urban settings as they are fairly hardy and they have beautiful, fan-shaped leaves. These trees can grow to be almost 30m tall (The Gymnosperm Database, 2021) and their leaves change to a vibrant yellow colour in the fall. Because they are the last remaining species in their order, they present some interesting life strategies that include reproducing using cones like conifers (e.g. pine trees), but they lose their leaves in the fall like deciduous trees. There is an ongoing debate about how to classify them, but scientists have decided that ginkgo trees could actually have a whole category of their own (Malone, 2019).

Image 1. Ginkgo leaves in the fall

These trees have very specific male and female characteristics (males produce cones and females are germinated and produce fruits) and while it is impossible to tell the “gender” of the tree when it is young, it soon becomes evident whether you have planted a male or female tree because of the seeds it produces. Female ginkgo trees produce seeds encased in a super smelly fruit with flesh that has been compared to the smell of vomit!

You might be wondering, why would a plant need to produce such strong-smelling fruits and why would it evolve to have such an objectively horrible smell? Scientists figure that this strong scent was used to attract animals to the fruit as a means of seed dispersal. The animals would eat the smelly fruit, wander away, and then later, pass the seeds out the other end and deposit those seeds in a different location, thus allowing the ginkgo tree to reproduce and spread! On a sad note, it is speculated that many of the animals this trait was evolved for have long been extinct, but there are probably a few more modern species that will brave the scent for those tasty seeds.

If you wander around the University of Guelph campus, there are several ginkgo trees that I have spotted, and I am sure that there are more spread out all over the place. The two places I have noticed them this fall are right across from Johnston Hall, between the rainbow benches and the backside of the McLaughlin library, and one more mature ginkgo that is hidden behind the J. D. MacLachlan building.

Image 2. The Hokkaidō University ginkgo walk (Japan)

This week our textbook chapter mentioned the power of awe and how many aspects of nature can give us those moments of awe and inspire us to do more. “In regards to mental health, experiences of awe can reduce stress and improve mood” (Green & Keltner, 2017, in Beck et al., 2018). For me, finding that hidden ginkgo on campus this semester left me in awe because I can’t believe we can share the earth at this very moment with such an ancient species. It was a pleasure and an honour to share space and time with that tree (as weird as that sounds). Ginkgo trees have survived much more than the human race and I hope that the damage done by climate change will not be so destructive that this beautiful, ancient species can still live on.

Keep reading

[ktenvs3000f21]

Hi Emma,

I love, love, loved your post this week! Not only was the content great, but the photos were absolutely magical. It is safe to say that like you, the ginkgo tree has me in absolute awe. Beck et al. (2018) mention that awe leads people to be more inclined to share their experiences with others, and your post is definitely one that I will be sharing. It’s such a weird coincidence that I came across your post on ginkgo trees because I recently discovered that species a month ago while I was conducting a tree ID assignment. I’ll attach some of my photos here. They aren’t as enchanting as yours, but they capture the ginkgo's unique leaves.

Believe it or not, I discovered a ginkgo tree in the parking lot at Cineplex. Weird place to find a tree, right? I was immediately amazed by its unique features as I had never seen any tree like it before. When I saw it, I knew I had to find out what it was. As Beck et al. (2018) stated, “…experiences of awe stimulate wonder, curiosity, perspective, purpose and creativity.” Much like you, this quote was entirely accurate for me. I found myself becoming obsessed with this species overnight. I stayed up late and did a bunch of research on this species. I was surprised to learn about its exciting life history and that it has been around for 270 million years, as you mentioned. I was also highly interested to learn that the ginkgo tree is also known as the Maidenhair tree because of its similarity to the maidenhair fern. It also has a life span that can exceed 1,000 years which is crazy to think about. But, I was sad to learn that the ginkgo is an endangered species. I hope things turn around for these ancient trees.

I can’t wait to check out the ginkgo trees on campus that you mentioned. Thanks for sharing!

Until next time,

Karissa

References

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage. Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

[ktenvs3000f21]

Sea Shepherds

Hey everyone,

This week, I found it difficult to relate our weekly reading to our blog post prompt. However, while reading this week’s chapter, the section on advocacy in action interested me and got me thinking. I wanted to come on here and share some of my thoughts with you guys.

Interpretation provides people with knowledge in ways that encourage and inspire. We have learned that nature interpretation is a great tool that can be used to educate the public on environmental issues. Some issues include climate change, deforestation, water quality, invasive species, endangered species, etc. The list is endless. Advocacy is present in many interpretive programs. Advocacy means taking public action on important issues (Beck et al., 2018). Public advocacy can often be risky to organizations and have consequences (Beck et al., 2018). However, if done right, there can be great rewards. This includes establishing a deeper connection with clientele and making a difference in the world (Beck et al., 2018).

The textbook talks about a marine advocacy organization called Aquarium, whose mission is “to inspire conservation of the ocean” (Beck et al., 2018).

“Overfishing, pollution, and climate change have put the ocean in a precarious position, endangering not just marine life but all life on Earth. But, together, we can turn the tide if we act now (Beck et al., 2018, pp. 470)."

This got me thinking about a marine wildlife advocacy group, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, that I watched on Animal Planet. They are an international organization whose mission is the protection of marine life. They partner with governments in different countries to identify and capture criminal groups engaging in illegal fishing activity. They are very well known for their fight again whaling in Japan. However, their tactics are sometimes very extreme. They often try to destroy fishing gear and fishing vessels in the water. Many people debate if this is good or bad for the conservation movement. Would you consider this reckless advocacy? Check them out for yourself visit https://seashepherd.org or check out the video below (0:46).

I see their extreme measures as being very dangerous and unnecessary at times. However, their methods have helped them reach a fair amount of success. I wonder if they would be as successful without using these extreme measures sometimes though desperate times call for desperate measures.

Have you ever heard of this group? If so, I’d be interested to see people weigh in on the debate.

Keep in mind there is no right or wrong answer. This is a safe space for everyone to share their ideas.

Until next time,

Karissa

References

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson. D.M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage for a better world. Sagamore-Venture.

[ktenvs3000f21]

Crows can hold grudges

POV: It’s a week before Halloween, and you’re in elementary school. You live in Seattle, Washington and this year, you have decided that you want to dress up as Mini-me from Austin Powers. So you decide to go to party city and buy a “bald man” mask to help you look just like him. This mask looks like this (right mask):

Once you get home with your costume, you’re super excited and decide that you’re going to try on your costume. After checking yourself out for a bit in the mirror, you realize just how awesome your costume turned out and decide to show your friend that lives a couple of houses down. But as soon as you leave your house, you notice a couple of crows on your way over in the trees. While you’re walking by, one after another, they start joining in and screeching at you. It sounds just like this:

You start walking faster towards your friend’s house, scared these crows are going to swarm you. It seems more and more have arrived in the process and have also joined in on the loud screeching. When you finally reach your friend’s house, you run in as quickly as possible, hoping to escape their torment. Once inside, you pause to wonder why these bird-brained crows were acting this way? Maybe they just didn’t like your costume as much as you did.

The truth is crows are actually extremely intelligent despite the negative reputation they often get as being tiny brained pesky scavengers. Crows actually have a sizeable brain-to-body ratio and well-developed hippocampus making them extremely intelligent (Marzluff et al., 2010).

This brings me to the most amazing thing I know about nature. Crows are so intelligent that they can recognize and remember human faces, and they hold one heck of a grudge (Marzluff et al., 2010). Amazing right? This is why these crows reacted to seeing you in your Mini-me costume. Let me explain…

These crows recognized your mask from its use in a study by Marzluff et al. (2010) in Seattle, Washington. In this study, they captured, tagged and released crows, all while wearing Halloween masks. The negative experience of capturing caused these crows to remember the faces of the Halloween masks used and one happened to be the one you were wearing (Marzluff et al., 2010). Even years after the experiment, these crows continue to hold a grudge and scold/mob anyone that wears these masks. These birds were even able to recognize the masks when researchers wore them upside down. Remarkably, crows that were not captured in the experiment also continue to scold people wearing these masks. Proving that the crows used in the experiment communicated their experiences. Crazy right?

Did you know crows were this intelligent? There’s no right or wrong answer; I’m just curious to know how many people were already aware of this crow behaviour. Please let me know in the comments; I’d love to hear from you!

Ps. If you’re interested in learning more or just want to see these birds in action, watch the video below! (If you want to fast forwards to 0:34 thats were most of the action happens)

Until next time,

Karissa :)

References

Emtman, J. (n.d.). Kaeli Swift holds two of the masks used in her crow research [Photograph]. https://www.hbmpodcast.com/podcast/tag/mask

Marzluff, J. M., Walls, J., Cornell, H. N., Withey, J. C., & Craig, D. P. (2010). Lasting recognition of threatening people by wild American crows. Animal Behaviour, 79(3), 699-707.

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Where is nature in music?

This week I am of 2 minds, the music of nature and the music I associate with the outdoors. I have very different responses to the 2 minds. The reason they are so different is that the music of nature and the sounds of the world are communicated to me when I listen. This is the sound of water, birds, wind, bugs, and other calls of various critters. When I listen to what could be called the orchestra of the forest I can learn much about whats going on there. The song birds are tied the strongest to the music that we tend to I think, they sing out for all their reasons and we just get to listen to their tune. The more we know the more we can understand it as language and communication and that can get a little dry and we can lose music. But its the same with us, we are still using language when we sing and its just a different form of communication. The ares article about the science of song talks of the whales and the birds and their science in song development that suggest that humans did not invent music and that we are naturally attracted to sounds in specific intervals and scales much like many other animals. We as humans like to think we are tops at everything so I really like this suggestion and it ties us to the natural world strongly.  The DJ in this weeks readings is tying these ideas together, using the calls as music to communicate to us something about the language of the animals. He’s giving us their sounds in a combination that people can connect to and showing us some of these patterns. In that view here is a video of bird calls that we watched at work one day for about an hour

My second mind is the music I associate with the outdoors. This is very different as much of the time I spend out in the woods with friends in my teens and early 20′s we listened to punk. I loved watching ski movies and x games and all these people playing with x Treme sport out in the snow and woods and its all high octane phat beats associated with adrenaline! My friends and I were filled with energy and not looking for tranquility but for escape. Here is an example of what I think of in this genre. Gob is a Canadian punk band I love and here is Soda. Lyrics “I want to jump in a lake, sun shining down a beach in the summer” Probably not what you think of but thats the thing about music, its personal and tied to memory and experience. 

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Hi Shannyn,

I wanted to start by saying great post! I enjoyed the approach you took to this week’s discussion and loved that you included videos. I have to say, though, going from one to the other shocked me a little; they had extremely different vibes. The first one made me want to close my eyes and relax but, the other made me want to get up and jam out.

But, going back to the topic of music in nature, what really stood out to me was your point about how the science behind song development suggests that humans did not invent music. This often surprises many people because I feel that most people default to thinking that humans invented almost everything. Guilty as charged - I may have been one of those people in this case. But, in my defence, I never had stopped to think about the possibility that these musical traits were even evolutionary. This is why it was surprising for me to learn just how similar the music of humans is to the music of Humpback Whales, considering that their evolutionary paths have not crossed for over 60 million years. It's clear that humans make music to share their stories, invoke emotions, etc. But why do whales sing?

In the search for answers, I came across a TEDTalk that I thought would be worth sharing. This video offers a lot of knowledge on the musical talents of whales. I have attached it below if you’re interested.

Happy blogging,

Karissa

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Music in Nature & Nature in Music

In this week’s Ares reading, Gray et al. (2001) define song as “any rhythmic repeated utterance, whether by a bird, a frog, an insect, a whale or a human being.” This means that music can be found all around us in nature, from the simplest cricket chirps to the complex songs of birds. Many animal species are known to participate in song as a form of language and expression. One of my favourite natural-born singers is the Humpback Whale.

Humpback Whales are extremely intelligent marine mammals that use rhythms similar to those in human songs. Often these marine mammals use phrases in their songs that are a few seconds long (Gray et al., 2001). They often repeat these phrases as human composers do. These songs are so complex that they are structured similarly to human songs (Gray et al., 2001). Additionally, Whales have a similar tone and timbre as many human sounds (Gray et al., 2001). If you’re interested, I will attach a YouTube link so you can hear some of their hit songs for yourself, definitely worth a listen!

https://youtu.be/UOkcvGPHsgk

Not only is there music in nature, but there is also nature in music. A great example is the traditional folk music in Finland which is used to express the significance of nature. Modern-day folk singers in Finland continue to use singing to communicate both the tangible and intangible meanings of nature. Their music helps the community understand nature and how it has and continues to shape human culture (Mallarach,2012). The songs Finnish folk singers perform usually describe myths about the natural world (Mallarach, 2012). Their songs also often describe traditional ways of living that are mutually beneficial for both humans and nature (Mallarach, 2012). As well, their songs often provide an extensive vocabulary for all different features of the natural world (Mallarach, 2012). The melody of these folk songs are often very unique and enchanting; I would encourage you to have a listen! Here’s one on YouTube that I found. If you’re interested, let me know what you think! Do you know of any other cultures with a similar musical practice?

https://youtu.be/vvxun84kTLI

Just as photos are good at capturing a moment in time visually, music is excellent in emotionally capturing a moment in time. When we listen back to songs, we often feel the same feelings as we previously did in a memory. In grade eleven, I took a course called Outdoor Education. Our exam was a four-day and three-night trip to Algonquin Provincial Park. In theory, this trip sounded fun, but boy, was it strenuous. Each day we would wake up at 5 am and leave the campsite by 5:30 am to start our eight-hour hike for the day, and most of the time, we didn’t sleep at night. Each day, we hiked for eight hours straight with one forty-five-minute break in-between to eat. Keep in mind we were backpacking with packs that weighed around 40lbs (which is quite challenging for a girl that is 5’4, 100 lb and EXTREMELY accident-prone). At one point, we approached the base of this massive hill with literally NO end in sight. We were already 7 hours in at this point, and we were all feeling physically and mentally exhausted. So doing what any sane person would, me and my two friends started singing The Climb by Miley Cyrus. Eventually, everyone started singing, and we slowly propelled ourselves to the top of that hill together. It sounds crazy now that I think about it, but that song really did allow everyone as a group to come together and make it to the top of the hill. That is one hill that I will never forget!

Until next time,

Karissa :)

References

Gray, P. M., Krause, B., Atema, J., Payne, R., Krumhansl, C., & Baptista, L. (2001). The music of nature and the nature of music. Science, 291(5501), 52-54.

Mallarach, J. M. (2012). Spiritual values of protected areas of Europe.

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Website Competition - Pileated Woodpecker

Hi everyone,

I decided to complete this week’s bonus activity out of curiosity. I decided to look at three different web pages discussing Pileated Woodpeckers. Through doing this, I found that there were many similarities between each webpage but also differences that made some stand out more than others. Keep in mind; all three took an approach of species identification. I will link them all below so that you can have a look if interested. I’m going to quickly break down some of the commonalities and differences in the hopes of identifying which one I think works best and why. By “works,” I mean which one I found I enjoyed reading the most and learned the most from.

Commonalities

All three of these studies were formatted in a way that is easy for readers to digest. They kept sentences generally short, refrained from using excess scientific jargon, incorporated many images and diagrams and had significant interactive aspects to their websites. Headings were clear and distinct, making it easy to find information. Visuals were not just of the species. They were also used to portray things such as nesting range, the comparative size of these birds and nest size. All of these web pages seemed to be meant for a diverse audience of regular everyday people.

Differences

Some of these websites had minimal visuals, and these visuals were simply just images of Pileated Woodpeckers. However, others used visuals to highlight important information regarding the species as well. These visuals made the information easier to digest and much less boring. Some showed comparative images between male and female Pileated Woodpeckers to help with identification. The majority of these three websites allowed for a side-by-side comparison to really emphasize the difference. One of the three web pages included a video to demonstrate the behaviour of these woodpeckers. I found this very interesting because instead of just reading about the behaviour, I can watch it. Another two websites included an audio file of this woodpecker’s call; I thought that was extremely interesting. It was something that made their page unique. One site allows readers to view a variety of information on this species all in one place. On their site, they have links from the identification page to an overview, life history, maps and sound page for these birds. In the similar species section, it compared pictures and attributes of the Pileated Woodpecker to similar species to avoid false identification. Some websites have less information written than others which increases readability but did not provide the same amount of knowledge as the others.

The winner of this challenge for me is… drumroll, please….

“allaboutbirds.org”

I thought this webpage was the best because it did not overwhelm me with information but also provided me with a good amount. It had a good ratio of photos to text which helped with readability and made me feel like I wasn’t reading SO MUCH text, which I tend to dread. But it also wasn’t SO SHORT that I learned nothing. There were also many visuals beyond just images that helped prevent boredom; this includes the short video they had. I also liked that the video was quick because videos tend to lose my attention after about five minutes. Their information was easy to read, easy to access, and sections were clearly labelled and easy to find. The site also offered a variety of resources on Pileated Woodpeckers beyond species identification all in one place, which I found very useful. For all these reasons, I chose “allaboutbirds.org” as the winner. If it was up to you, who would you choose? I’ll add the links below so you can weigh in with your vote too!

Websites

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/id

https://www.wild-bird-watching.com/Pileated_Woodpecker.html

https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/ontario/featured-projects/backus-woods/interpretive-features/pileated-woodpecker.html

Image

"Pileated Woodpecker" by Don McCullough is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

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The Importance of History: Storytelling 101

Reading the quote by Edward Hyams, what jumps out at me is the underlying notion that history is a tool to show we care about the past, and are able to learn from it. Edward Hyams is desperately attempting to convey that the ability to remember events, stories, and artifacts is more important than the actual thing we are trying to remember. Hymans goes as far as pressuring the reader into sharing his point of view by questioning the integrity one has if they fail to remember. This quote serves as a stepping stone into the discussion of history in relation to nature, and how important a knowledge of past events is for effective nature interpretation.

When I think of nature interpretation, I think of the ability to weave a story into what we are experiencing firsthand. In the textbook, Mark Wallis states, “A good costumed interpreter (whether in first or third person) has to combine skills of a host, storyteller, an entertainer, an expert, a psychologist, a guardian (of the site and its artifacts), a tour guide, a stand-up comedian (when and if appropriate), a therapist, and a counsellor” (Beck et al., 2018). This quote highlights the importance of knowledge in successful interpretation, without a thorough history of the setting, one cannot effectively serve as any of the aforementioned roles. Most importantly, the ability to tell an exciting story, one which makes the audience feel as if they are actually present in it, is the key to successful interpretation. Yet, it is quite hard to tell a story when you have no actual knowledge of what happened. The idea of faking it and putting on a show for your audience only goes so far, eventually the audience will be able to see through the smokescreen and realize the interpretation is hollow. Relating this idea of storytelling back to the quote by Hyams, simply interpreting a setting based on what you are experiencing in the present does not capture the full picture, and is a naive way of viewing the natural world. Behind every picturesque setting interpreters bring their audience to, there is a backstory worth telling that will captivate the audience beyond what they are experiencing in the present.

One particular interpretive/cultural nature story that has stuck with me is the legend of the Sleeping Giant of Lake Superior, as told by the Ojibway people. Legend has it that an Ojibway Tribe was gifted Nanna Bijou (the Sleeping Giant) by the gods as a way to reward their peaceful way of life. Nanna Bijou, came with perks, as The Great Spirit told the tribe that Nanna Bijou contained a tunnel to a deposit of silver, enough to make them rich. However, if the tribe were to disclose the location to outsiders ( white people, colonizers), then the great Nanna Bijou would turn to stone. Unfortunately, a group of outsiders sent in a scout in disguise to find the silver tunnel, tricking the tribe and resulting in the demise of Nanna Bijou as was once known. This story makes the beautiful Sleeping Giant all the more breathtaking, and serves as a prime example that the knowledge of ancient things, through the maintenance of integrity as explained by Hyams, improves the quality of nature interpretation, captivating audiences like myself along the way.

Miigwetch,

Lucas

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson. D.M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage for a better world. Sagamore-Venture.

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Hi Lucas,

Thanks for sharing! I really enjoyed reading your post this week. We had some similar ideas, especially in regards to the importance of storytelling in interpreting history. I like how you mentioned that pretending can only get you so far. I agree that history can often lack the feeling of authenticity when people are simply recreating what they have studied through books and artifacts. As mentioned in the textbook, many consumers want the real thing. They don’t want experiences they consider to be fake. Herein lies why there is something special about hearing someone’s first-person experiences. I think these types of experiences give audiences the most incredible feeling of personal authenticity. It allows the audience to connect with the interpreter uniquely and emotionally. I remember learning about World War II through the experiences of guest speakers at school and from my late great-grandmother, who was a child at the time. These stories always seemed to captivate me in ways re-enactments, movies or historical sites never could. However, people aren’t immortal, so this isn’t always possible. This became very clear to me when my great-grandmother passed away a couple of months ago. There are so many things about World War II that I wish I had an opportunity to ask her about that I never really got the chance to. However, she shared many stories with my grandmother, and these stories live on through her. The next best thing to experiencing first-hand accounts is experiencing these same stories from a relative of that individual. But, when this is no longer an option, stories can be shared through museum exhibits, campfire talks, websites, printed media, walking tours, etc. History doesn’t need to die with these people. Their stories can live forever through historical interpretation.

Happy blogging,

Karissa :)

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Protecting History

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all doing well and hanging in there for this midterm season!

When I read this week’s blog prompt, I had to reread it. I'm not sure if it was the same for everyone, but it took me a couple of reads to fully interpret its meaning. For me, it seemed like a tongue twister to read at first. This quote expresses the importance of continuing to interpret history. By continuing to interpret history, we can preserve knowledge and memories through history. We can use tools such as museum exhibits, trails, walking tours, websites and even story-telling to interpret history to others. I think story-telling or living history is one of the best ways to interpret history. I believe there is something incredibly captivating about hearing someone’s stories and experiences. It gifts you the ability to develop an emotional connection to them and their story leaving the feeling of personal authenticity. The feeling that their story allows you to transcend time and place and live in that moment from the past with them.

In elementary and high school, around the time of remembrance day, each year, my school would have guest speakers. These speakers usually had experienced World War I or World War II or shared stories from those who had. Often these stories were passed down from grandparents or great-grandparents. I always found these presentations to be enriching because we had been learning history out of a textbook for most of the year. These presentations always seemed to bring what we had learned to life. When you read these accounts in history books, they are just words on paper. But when these people shared their stories in person, it was more of an emotional experience. These were real people with real stories. I think we must continue interpreting history because it allows audiences the opportunity to learn and find inspiration from these survivors. Did you guys ever have any of these speakers come to your schools?

I believe that the past defines us, so to know who we are today, we have to learn about where we came from. One part of this week’s prompt that resonated with me was the part about the train station. I think it represents how many people feel about history. Why do we need to learn about the past when it happened so long ago? Many people like to separate themselves from the past and imagine it never existed. But who am I to judge? I used to think the same thing. Growing up in elementary school, I used to loath learning about history. I always found the material way too dry and was always left wondering why we had to learn about all these people who died so long ago. It sounds silly now that I think about it but, I feel like this is the thought of many students in grade 5. Hopefully, I wasn’t the only one. If more interpretive history programs were integrated into the school curriculum, I think very few students would ever feel this way again. However, I have learned that to understand why the world is how it is today; it is essential to know about the past. But, it did take me quite a while to get there.

Until next time,

Karissa

(Image from Microsoft Word Stock Images 2021)

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Mental Health and the Environment

This week’s blog prompt got me to think about nature and what I want to share with everyone. There are so many topics that I could talk about for hours with everyone, and probably write several essays on, but I think this week I really want to talk about how interconnected the environment is with Mental Health. 

In a lot of my posts, I talk about how exploring the wilderness awoke a different part of myself, that made me appreciate the world around me and kickstarted my education into Environmental Science. With this, my exploration into nature has also improved my mental health and continues to be a coping mechanism for when I am overly anxious or stressed. 

Nature continues to act as my escape to the world, where I can immerse myself in the wilderness and forget about the stress of my day-to-day life. 

I’ve said it before, but I continue to use nature as a way to take a deep breath. This week’s blog prompt got me to think about my own feelings towards nature, and I did some research on how mental health is scientifically proven to be improved by interactions with nature.  I wanted to share with everyone some of the research I found, to help convey to everyone how important nature is to improving and maintaining good mental health. 

I think a lot of people would be surprised by how much the environment can impact someone’s mental health, and if more people knew the facts, they would be more inclined to explore the natural world in order to improve their own mental health. 

In a study, it was found that people who spend at least 2 hours a week in green spaces are more likely to report good health compared to those who have no exposure to green spaces (Robbins, 2020). Not only does nature act as a relief for mental health, but it also provides a safe space for people to exercise to improve physical health.  Good physical health is important to mental health as the endorphins released during exercise create feelings of joy and happiness that put people in a better mental state (Robbins, 2020). 

Looking into how nature continues to make people feel relaxed, it’s understood that people pay attention to nature in a different way than they do everything else in their day-to-day life. Look at your own life. In your day-to-day life, you pay extra attention to whatever task you are working on. When people enter nature, they pay attention in a more broad sense, and with less effort (Robbins, 2020). The broad and effortless view leads to a relaxed body and mind because people are not paying as close attention to what they are doing, and simply enjoying the moment (Robbins, 2020). 

Reading the facts has reinforced to me, and I hope everyone reading, the importance of exploring nature and how it can be a great benefit to our mental health. 

Robbins, Jim. (2020). Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health. Yale Environment 360. https://e360.yale.edu/features/ ecopsychology-how-immersion-in- nature -benefits-your-health

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Hi Hannah,

I wanted to start by saying, great post! I felt that this topic was perfect since we are at that time in the semester where everything seems to be due. During this time, everyone seems to be struggling with their mental health and feeling extremely burnt out. As a result, I have been trying to find time to do activities to help me decompress but, that has proven to be very difficult. I find myself thinking about school work even when I’m relaxing, like a constant thought lingering in my head; it never seems to disappear. Hopefully, I’m not the only one feeling this way at times. Do you ever get these thoughts/feelings?

I have been thinking about ways to improve my mental health during this semester to avoid burnout, which is why I was interested in reading your post. I always knew that going for a walk or run had benefits to your physical health but, I never really stopped to think about how it might help your mental health. You mentioned that when people immerse themselves in nature, they readily take in nature in a broad sense, and this wide view allows them to relax their bodies and mind, which a lot of people need right now. Being immersed in nature can help individuals shut off their brains and just enjoy the moment, allowing just enough time to recharge. The going outside part seems relatively straightforward. However, so many people find it challenging to make time in their day to do so. The hardest part for many, me included, is knowing when it’s a good time to shut down your computer, close your books, and head outside. Lately, I have been trying to give myself 1-hour breaks for every 3 hours of work. I set a timer and stick to it. This encourages me to get outside at least once a day and not feel guilty about taking a break. How do you make time to interact with nature?

Karissa :)

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Lack of Diversity in Interpretive Programs

After reading this week’s ares readings I was left once again thinking about the barriers presents in naturalist programs. I know this is a topic we discussed previously in unit three however, the participation statistics listed by Merenlender et al. (2016) were extremely astounding for me. To briefly summarize the demographics present in their program:

Ethnicity - >20% of participants identified as non-white (Merenlender et al., 2016).

Employment Status - 75% of participants were either full-time workers or retired. Only 7% were students. (Merenlender et al., 2016).

Education Level - The majority (69%) were highly educated, having a bachelor’s degree or graduate degree (Merenlender et al., 2016).

Average Income - The majority of participants had an income upwards of $50,000 (Merenlender et al., 2016).

Age - Half of the participants were over the age of 50 (Merenlender et al., 2016).

Sex - Approximately two-thirds of participants were women (Merenlender et al., 2016).

To further break it down, the majority of participants are white females, working full-time or retired, are highly educated, make upwards of $50,000 a year and are over the age of 50. I know that statistics can sometimes be overwhelming but, using them helps me emphasize how significant the lack of diversity is within the two programs mentioned in the study. It is extremely evident that these participants represent such a small demographic. This highlights the immense need for these programs to encourage a wider, more diverse audience to participate in both nature interpretation and citizen science. This made me think about ways these programs can help encourage more diversity within participants especially concerning age and ethnicity.

I believe they could encourage younger people to participate by partnering with local colleges and universities and integrate their volunteer opportunities into the curriculum of courses similar in content. The addition of this program can help enrich the content of these university courses and could even be used as a course requirement or extra credit. Having this integration will allow students to apply the science education and environmental education they receive in class to citizen science. This will allow them to engage in non-formal scientific research in the community which will thereby promote stewardship. This isn’t something new, if any of you have ever taken PSYCH*1000 you know that they do something similar. The professor allocates a certain percentage of your grade for participation in a certain amount of psychological studies on campus. This encourages students to gain first hand experience in the field.

In addition, they could encourage people of different ethnicities to participate by personally inviting minority populations to attend. Maybe these individuals could reach out to cultural centers in the neighbourhood and invite them to participate. This can help them reach a broader audience. If language is an issue they could hire a translator to help with communication. As well, this translator can help tailor these volunteer programs to incorporate multiple languages using varied media. Hiring multilingual employees for these volunteer programs can make minorities feel represented and welcomed thereby further encouraging diversity within participants.

These are just a few ideas of mine, I would love to hear some of yours. How would you help these volunteer programs connect with a more diverse audience? How might we encourage more males to participate?

Reference

Merenlender, A. M., Crall, A. W., Drill, S., Prysby, M., & Ballard, H. (2016). Evaluating environmental education, citizen science, and stewardship through naturalist programs. Conservation Biology, 30(6), 1255–1265. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12737

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The Gift of Beauty in Natural Interpretation

For me, nature has always been linked to art because I was always taught to see the beauty in the landscape and not take nature for granted. I have always interpreted nature as being ‘the gift of beauty’ because it is so multilayered and complex to the finest detail. Take for example a single snowflake. At first glance it may not seem like much, but after further inspection, you can see the intricate lattice structure and unique crystallization patterns.  In my opinion, no human made art can ever quite compare to even the smallest section of nature. In fact, I think most of art (if not all) is at least partially inspired by nature.

My favorite way of interpreting nature through art, is photography. After reading a couple of blog posts, this seems to be the common trend in natural interpretation. I think this is a great way people can connect and share their nature photography while appreciating the art of others. I am sure a lot of you can relate to this, but often times when I am walking around outside, something will catch my eye and I can’t help but snap a quick picture. However, since I only have my phone to take pictures and not a higher quality camera, my pictures tend to fall short of capturing the true beauty of nature.

I love to look back at the photographs I have taken and remember how the scenery looked in person. Moreover, each photo holds more than just a nice visual, but also a lot of secondary things such as emotion and experience. When looking at a photograph, the observer can usually pick up some sort of feeling or emotion that the picture is expressing. This reminds me of what I read in the weekly reading, that interpretation should instill in people the ability and the desire to sense beauty in their surroundings, which provides spiritual uplift (Beck et al., 2018).

When we begin to interpret nature on a deeper level, a connection is formed between us and nature that hopefully inspires people to want to preserve the environment. Having a personal connection with nature is very important and crucial to understanding the world outside of our urban living. After reading this unit, I feel motivated to further strengthen my natural interpretation skills and participate in conservation efforts to protect the natural areas I have grown to love.

I wanted to share some of the pictures I took in nature that I love to revisit because of what they inspire for me. I am curious to hear what you think of these pictures and how you interpret them, since everyone has different perspectives.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed my post!

-Georgi A.

Reference:

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson. D.M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage for a better world. Sagamore-Venture.

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Hi Georgi,

I want to first say, awesome post! The photos you attached to your post are extremely beautiful. I especially loved the one with the leaves changing. Is that a recent one? Absolutely stunning! Fall is my favourite season so I especially appreciated that one!

Photography is an amazing way to capture the finest details of beauty because it allows you the ability to alter your lens and perspective. It allows you to take a snapshot of the most beautiful and large landscapes but, also allows you the opportunity to capture those details up close and personal. Often life seems to move so fast so sometimes it is nice to step back and take the time to capture and appreciate the beauty in nature through photography. Photography is special in that it lets you capture a moment in time and allows you to keep it forever. It’s almost like you are capturing a memory with each photo you take. As you mentioned, each picture often evokes certain feelings or emotions when you go back and look at them. Reliving memories through my own pictures always seems to bring me back to the feelings I had when I first took them. I wonder if it is similar for you.

I believe that visual art is extremely unique as it allows people to be fully immersed in a time, place, or scene without ever having been there themselves. When used in interpretive programs visual images are often successful at allowing individuals to make personal connections with the topic of interpretation. This is because visual art is often interpreted by others in a very personal way.

Hope your having a great day!

Karissa

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The Gift of Beauty

I decided to include the above quote from Rita Cantu because I felt that it provides a good explanation as to why we should be interpreting nature through art. One of the main goals of interpretation is to embrace the gift of beauty and share that with others. Nature interpretation itself is an art form that uses artistic methods to provide meaning to the beauty around us. Using art to convey your interpretive message creates an enhanced experience for the audience; making good programs great. It allows the audience to perceive natural resources and history both emotionally as well as intellectually. Several types of art forms are beneficial for use in nature interpretation. These include interpretive theatre, storytelling, poetry, dance, visual arts, and music. The use of each provides a different dimension to nature interpretation.

Theatre is a great creative tool that can be used to help attract a broader audience and keep people engaged in interpretive programs. Storytelling has the power to captivate large audiences of all ages. These stories create vivid images in people’s minds which helps them understand and retain what they have heard. After all, emphasis on the storyline approach is the key to successful interpretation! In the case of environmental interpretation, singing can help promote environmentally sensitive behaviour. This is because the words in these songs stick in the listeners' minds and evoke emotions in the listener. Dance is another art form that can complement an interpretive program by promoting participation from the audience and evoking emotions. Visual art can also be used as an aid to help audiences immerse themselves completely in an interpretive program.

I am not a very artistic person in the visual sense. However, I do love to be creative and interpret the beauty of nature through photography. I am not a professional photographer by any means but, I do love taking pictures of the natural world. I find that taking up close and personal photographs of underappreciated species (like the spiders we all love so much) can often be surprising. There is so much more to these species when you take a closer look at them than you ever could have imagined. These snapshots successfully capture the beauty of these individuals at that specific moment in time. It’s nice because although that moment is over, you can always relive it through the images that you have captured. I enjoy sharing these photos with friends and family members and, in doing so, feel that I am extending my appreciation of nature to them. Often people are surprised at the beauty in these images because they are often of things they see every day. However, these photographs allow them to take a closer look and find a whole new appreciation for these species. Taking the time to appreciate the beauty in nature always makes my days a little brighter.

Music is also a very useful art that can help people remember information. This is especially evident in advertising. There are so many jingles that, for the life of me, I just can’t seem to get out of my head. I bet you can finish this one too.

967 11 11…

This can’t be just me. Are there any other jingles that you can remember extremely well?

Until next time,

Karissa

[kamenvs3000f21-deactivated20220]

I have spent some time reflecting on my own privilege and how it has helped me get to where I am today. Privilege is having access to goods, resources, or other opportunities that someone from a different social class may not have. For example;

- I am english speaking and caucasian - I am in my last semester of my undergrad degree and was able to take a reduced course load without worrying about the extra cost - I plan on attending teacher’s college and will finish both degrees with zero debt - I am an only child from a double-income household - I have my own car - I have a reoccurring full-time summer job that pays above minimum wage - I have cystic fibrosis but am able to afford all of the medical expenses due to my parents both having government jobs with amazing health benefits

Privilege plays an integral part within nature interpretation from both the instructors and the participants perspective. Someone who comes from a family who can afford to pay for their university and/or college education would have more access to jobs in Ontario Parks than someone from a less fortunate family who cannot afford a post-secondary education. From there stems more opportunities for the higher educated person to become a nature interpreter or guide. All of the senior staff at my park, including the discovery guide, either have or are on track to have 1 or more post-secondary degrees. The visitors that attend the nature programs also have privilege, primarily in the form of money. In order to access the park, people must either pay for a day pass or have a reservation for a campsite. A day fee at Ontario Parks is $15 and a campsite for 1 night with power is between $43-$60 depending on the park. That’s a lot of money to walk around and rent a small plot of dirt!! These fees act as barriers that prevent less privileged people from accessing the park and nature interpretation programs.

From a geographical standpoint, privilege also plays a huge role in where nature interpretation can be accessed. For example, someone living in Sudbury could easily go on a backcountry trip in Killarney, a day trip to Fairbank, or go for long nature walk at the local conservation area: all of which have nature interpretation programs. Someone living in a lower income neighbourhood of Toronto with limited urban green space would have far less nature to access and likely be excluded from nature interpretation programs outside of the city. Even if the family had a means of transportation to parks and conservation areas, the costly entry fee would likely impact their ability to attend the programs.

To combat the inequitable access to nature interpretation, I believe there should be more programs that bring nature to people instead of it being the other way around. By bringing free programs to schools or community centres, more people would be able to learn about the natural environment.

Kate

[ktenvs3000f21]

Hi Kate,

I just want to start by saying, great post! I admire how you addressed your privilege to help define privilege in your own words. I enjoyed the exercise of unpacking our backpacks of privilege because I feel that these are things that a lot of the time we take for granted. I’m not sure if you feel the same but, for me when I am around people with similar privilege, that privilege often becomes normalized in my head. This is a bad habit that makes it especially hard for me to acknowledge privilege in my everyday life.

If you don’t mind I would like to unpack some of my own privileges too. Some of the things you mentioned I am also privileged enough to have but, these are things that did not initially come to mind when initially unpacking my backpack.

- I also have my own car

- I am also an English speaking Caucasian

- I also come from a double income household

- I also have a full-time reoccurring summer job that pays above minimum wage

- I am also privileged that both my parents have private health insurance that covers all of my medical expenses

This exercise is humbling because it has really made me stop and reflect on all the privileges that I have but often don’t appreciate. I think is important that we continue to take the time to unpack our backpacks every once in a while to acknowledge and appreciate our privilege.

[ktenvs3000f21]

Privilege in Environmental Interpretation

To be privileged is to be given an advantage or special treatment that makes things more attainable to you. Thereby, making your life easier. This can be in the form of money and status but also other things that we often take for granted. For example, you could be privileged if both your parents are still married, that you never had to worry about the power being shut off at home, or even that you have running water at home.

This week’s content really made me revaluate my own privilege. I now know that I am extremely privileged to be Caucasian, English speaking, have access to a university education as well as many other things I used to take for granted. There are many barriers in nature interpretation to those less privileged. Out of ignorance, we often assume that everyone comes from the same background as we do. However, it is important to acknowledge and encourage diversity within your audience as an interpreter. This is because each visitor is different and each brings with them a different set of experiences, abilities, knowledge, and even personality. To be successful as an interpreter we must be aware of our privilege and approach our craft in a less general way. This will allow all these unique individuals the opportunity to find personal meaning in what is being interpreted.

It is our job as interpreters to realize that there are many underserved audiences that we must find ways to reach. Several barriers have been found to discourage minorities from attending interpretive programs which include financial barriers, cultural barriers, communication barriers, lack of knowledge, and fear. Many of us are privileged enough to have a car or access to one for transportation. In addition, many of us have the financial means to afford entrance fees and food at these interoperative programs. However, not everyone else has the same luxury. These economic barriers can prevent some people from being able to access these facilities. Out of our privilege any of us Canadians see camping as a fun outdoor activity. But, this is not the case for people of all cultures. Some minorities might see camping as something culturally only white people do. For them, sleeping in a tent is instead associated with homelessness.

If you live in Canada and are English speaking you are at another advantage in regards to environmental interpretation. Many minorities cannot access interpretative resources because of the language barrier. Although they may be able to immerse themselves in the experience they are not able to have access to all the information available which leaves them at a disadvantage.

Have you or anyone you know been unable to participate in an interpretive program because of one of these barriers? If so which one and why.

Coming from an Italian background I grew up in a large family environment but, none of my family members ever went camping. I’m not sure if this was a cultural thing or just a decision based on preference but I never did go camping. This meant that growing up I knew nothing about camping and had never had the privilege to go and explore. It wasn’t until elementary school that I learned about camping through a friend. However, I did not get to experience camping until I was sixteen years old.